• Arabia Petraea was a Roman Province located in the area of modern Jordan.

1. History

• Pre-Roman history:
  • This area is one of the Cradles of Civilisation known as ‘The fertile Crescent’. It ran from Egypt to Mesopotamia, and gave rise to many Empires, Persian, Macedonian Greek and Ptolemaic Egyptian.
  • Nabataean Kingdom
    • This Kingdom was an Empire which peaked between 168 BCE and 106 CE, and was based on the city of Petra.
  • Decapolis
    • These were ten cities of Greek and Roman culture, as opposed to their neighboring cities in Judaea, Syria and Arabia, which were of Aramaic, Nabatean and Jewish culture.
    • The Decapolis was not a union or League, but the cities were interconnected by a Roman road network and eventually all had their centres rebuilt on the Roman grid system with Roman Temples and Public buildings.
    • The cities were: 1. Gerasa (Jordan), 2. Scythopolis (Jordan), 3. Hippos (Israel), 4. Gadara (Jordan) 5. Pella (Jordan), 6. Philadelphia (Amman, Jordan), 7. Capitolias (Jordan), 8. Canatha (Syria), 9. Raphana (Jordan), 10. Damascus (Syria).
• Acquisition by Rome:
  • In 106 CE, Trajan moved the Legio VI Ferrata south from Syria, and the Legio III Cyrenaica north from Aqaba, after it had sailed from Egypt.
  • Arabia was annexed and it is not considered by historians to have been a war.
• Timeline of this Province:
  • In 175 CE Arabia did not support, Gaius Avidius Cassius, the Roman General and Imperial legate of Syria, who proclaimed himself Emperor afterreceiving a false report of Marcus Aurelius‘ Death. As a Usurper he was declared by the Roman Senate a Public Enemy. He lasted 3 months and 6 days before he was assassinated by one of his own centurions.
• After Diocletian’s Reforms (297 CE):
  • The Province became part of the Prefecture of Oriens.
• After Death of Theodosius and the split into Eastern and Western Empire (395 CE):
  • In 410 CE Aqaba (Ayla) became home to Legio X Fretensis (10th Legion of the Sea Strait).
  • The Province was enlarged to include part of the former Judaea. It became part of the Diocese of Oriens, under the Prefecture of Oriens and remained part of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• Famous Persons from this Province:
  • Philip the Arab who became Roman Emperor (244-249 CE)
• Chief archeological Finds:
  • Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran on the Dead Sea.
  • The ‘Lost city’ of Petra
  • Ayla-Axum Amphorae at Aqaba
• Historic Battle Sites:
• Main Historical Sources for this Province:

2. Geography

• Capital City:
  • Petra
  • Bostra (the capital alternated at different periods)
• Chief Cities:
  • Hegra (Mada’in Saleh), Aqaba (Aila), (Berenice to the Ptolemaic Greeks), Amman (Philadelphia, which was part of the Decapolis), Jerash (formerly part of the Decapolis)
• Location Today:
  • Jordan, Southern Israel and the Sinai Peninsular in Egypt.
• Neighbouring Roman Provinces:
  • Syria (north), Judaea (west) Egypt (southwest) and the Parthian Empire to the east.
• Climate and Temperature Today:
  • Winter:
    • January is the coldest month at 5-10°C
  • Summer:
    • August is the hottest month at 20-35°C
  • Winds:
    • The Shamal, blows from the north during June to September for up to 9 days at a time.
    • The Khamsin, a Sirocco style wind, blows from the south, increases temperatures to 40°C and can cause Sandstorms.
  • Rainfall:
    • November to March: 70% of the Rainfall falls in this period.
    • No rain June to August. Rain often falls during violent storms.
  • Areas:
    • Jordan valley and Gulf of Aqaba: low altitude so very hot and humid.
    • Aqaba: is warm all year round.
    • Higher Central and Northern areas: cooler.
    • Amman and Petra: can receive snow.
    • The Deserts: drop below freezing at night.
• Main Geographical features:
  • The Jordan Valley: Part of the Great Rift Valley from Lebanon to Mozambique.
  • The north-south mountain range to the east of it, where most of the rainfall occurs.
  • The deserts to the east of the Great Rift
  • Gulf of Aqaba
  • Sinai Peninsular
• Main Rivers:
  • The River Jordan which runs into the Sea of Galilee then empties into the Dead Sea.
• The Dead Sea
  • Also known as ‘The Salt Sea’, it is the world’s lowest saline lake at 1,388 ft (423m) below sea level. It is 42 miles long (67 km) and 11 miles wide (18 km).
• Mountain Ranges:
  • Abarim Range
    • East of the R. Jordan. Mount Nebo is on top of Mount Pisgah.
    • It is parallel to Dead Sea.
  • Mountains of the Sinai Peninsular
• Islands: None

3. Political Organisation

• Province Type:
  • Imperial Propraetorial
• Governor:
  • Propraetor
  • T. Aninius Sextius Florentinus Governor (127 CE).
• Tribes and Population:
  • Nabataeans who were Arabs, and the Saraceni, a nomadic desert tribe.
• Language:
  • Greek, which, after the Roman occupation, supplanted Nabataean and Aramaic.

• Arabia was divided into three Zones:
  1. Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia):
     • Southern Arabia and Yemen: this divided amongst 4 main Kingdoms who all had advanced hydraulic systems in place:
       • Sabaean Kingdom
         • The Yemen. Its capital was at Marib (or possibly Sheba), and later at Sana (Sanaa).
         • This was the most powerful Kingdom.
       • Kingdom of Ma’in
         • The capital was at Timna.
         • It controlled the Incense trade.
       • Kingdom of Hadramaut
         • The capital was at Sabwa.
         • Incense and Cinnamon was traded through their Port of Cana (Mukalla)
       • Kingdom of Zufar
         • Modern Oman. Its capital was the lost city of Iram of the Pillars also known as Ubar, of which nothing is known.
  2. Arabia Deserta:
     • (Desert Arabia) Modern Eastern Syria and Iraq: Cities: Palmyra, Emesa, Edessa, Hatra, Characene and Gerrha.
  3. Arabia Petrae:
     • Modern Jordan and Southern Syria, the northwestern part of Arabia, ruled from Petra.
     • The Nabataeans were based at Petra, on the route between Mesopotamia and Egypt

4. Military Organisation

• Legions:
• Petra:
  • Legio III Cyrenaica (106 CE) Cohorts based here.
• Bostra:
  • Legio VI Ferrata (106 EC)
  • Legio III Cyrenaica (120 or 126 CE)
• Aqaba (Aila or Aelana)
  • Roman Cohort garrisoned here (106 CE)
  • Legio X Fretensis (c. 400 CE) ‘Legion of the Sea Strait’
• Navy:
• Defensive Works:
  • Limes Arabicus A line of Fortifications along Desert Frontier.
• Main Threats:

5. Economy

• Chief Exports:
  • Copper
• Agriculture and Fishing:
  • Olives, Figs, fruit and vegetables from the river irrigated Jordan Valley.
  • Cereals from the uplands watered by the rains.
• Manufacturing:
• Mines:
  • Copper Mines
    • Timna, north of Eilat.
    • Wadi Faynan
      • 50 miles (80km) north of Petra 14 square miles (36 square km) of Roman Copper mining and smelting.
  • Turqoise Mines
    • There were two mines in the Sinai Peninsular:
    • Wadi Maghareh (Egyptian Temples and mines) and Serabit el-Khadim.
    • Christians were sentenced to Slavery in these two mines during the Diocletianic Persecution

• Mints:

6. Transport

• Roads:
  • Via Traiana Nova (111-115 CE):
    • It ran south from Bostra via Petra to Aqaba.
  • A Roman Road
    • This ran due west from Petra to Memphis in Egypt
• Waterways:
• Ports:
  • Aqaba on the Red Sea.
• Ancient Trade Routes:
  • Petra was a crossroads of Four Camel Caravan Routes: (Camels could travel up to 60 miles (96km) a day).
    • From Egypt
    • From the Parthian Empire
    • From the Mediterranean Sea
    • From Aqaba and the Maritime Silk Road from China.
  • Two of the Caravan routes connecting the Euphrates to the Red Sea had been monopolised completely by the former Nabataean Kingdom:
    • Incense Road
      • From Southern Arabia north to Mesopotamia, but it declined after 24 BCE when it was replaced by the sea route.
      • Incenses such as Frankincense, Myrrh and other Incenses from Southern Arabia and Spices from India.
      • They were transported to Gaza and Alexandria.
    • Silk Road
      • From Mesopotamia south to Egypt
• Number of Days taken to travel from this Province to Rome:

7. Relationship with Rome

• A very loyal Province, unlike Syria. It never allied itself with the Syrian Governors who frequently rebelled.
• It became the launch base for Septimius Severus attack against Syria.
• It was Hellenised and Greek speaking, with very few Latin inscriptions.
• The Acquisition of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 CE and the building of the Road linking the Red Sea with Syria, may have been part of Trajan‘s plan to attack the Parthian Empire. He had delayed the announcement of it’s acquisition until 115 CE, when the Via Traiana was finally completed.
• The Nabatean Kingdom had monopolised the Silk Road and the Incense Road, two lucrative trade routes which Rome now inherited.

8. History of Christianity in this Province

• Between 303-313 CE during the Diocletianic Persecution, Christians were sentenced to Slavery in the Two Turquoise Mines in Sinai Peninsular.
• They were in Wadi Maghareh  and Serabit el-Khadim.

9. Roman Authors describing this Province

10. Films

• IMDb Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  • Filmed in Petra.

Arabia Petraea

• Ancient Egypt had two Divisions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
• Lower Egypt consisted of the Nile Delta a flat and featureless land. Upper Egypt was the rocky canyon, consisting of two narrow strips of land on either side of the Nile.

History

• The emblem of Lower Egypt was a Bee and the emblem of Upper Egypt was a Lotus Flower.
• Ancient Egypt was originally two different Kingdoms with different dialects and customs, which were eventually united together by the Pharaohs, around 3,100 BCE.
• Each Division was then subdivided into Nomes based on City States. This system had remained virtually unchanged for 3,000 years until the Reforms of Diocletian in 307-8 CE, when they were subdivided into smaller units called Pagi.

Upper Egypt

• This started at Elephantine Island near the Cataracts of the Nile, and had 22 Nomes numbered 1 to 22, with Elephantine as Nome number 1.

Fort Babylon

• Located near Cairo was built on 30° N, and commanded the Border between Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. It was the collection point for Tolls paid on the Nile in either direction. (The area between Cairo and the Qena Bend is sometimes known as Middle Egypt, although technically it is a part of Upper Egypt.)

The 20 Nomes of Lower Egypt

• Lower Egypt had 20 Nomes with Memphis, (near Cairo) as Nome number 1:
  1. Memphis
  2. Letopolis
  3. Apis
  4. Ptkheka
  5. Sais
  6. Xois
  7. Hermopolis Parva
  8. Pithom
  9. Busiris
  10. Athribis
  11. Leontopolis
  12. Sebennytos
  13. Heliopolis
  14. Tanis
  15. Hermopolis Parva
  16. Mendes
  17. Diospolis Inferior
  18. Bubastis
  19. Leontopolis Tanis
  20. Per-Sopdu

Fort Babylon

• Egypt consisted of two Divisions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
• Upper Egypt was a rocky canyon, consisting of two narrow strips of land on either side of the Nile, bordered by mountain ranges. Lower Egypt consisted of the Nile Delta a flat and featureless land which was agriculturally productive.

History

• The capital of Upper Egypt was Thebes.
• The emblem of Upper Egypt was a Lotus Flower and the emblem of Lower Egypt was a Bee.
• Ancient Egypt was originally two different Kingdoms with different dialects and customs, which were eventually united together by the Pharaohs, around 3,100 BCE.
• Egypt consisted of the Nile Delta and two narrow strips of land on either side of the Nile.
• The two Divisions were then subdivided into Nomes based on City States. This system had remained virtually unchanged for 3,000 years until the Reforms of Diocletian in 307-8 CE, when they were subdivided into smaller units called Pagi.

Lower Egypt

• The capital of Lower Egypt was Heliopolis.
• Lower Egypt included the Nile Delta, and had 20 Nomes or Divisions which were numbered 1 to 20 from south to north in each area. Memphis (near Cairo) was Nome number 1.

Fort Babylon

• Located near Cairo, it was built on 30° N, and commanded the Border between Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. It was the collection point for Tolls paid on the Nile in either direction. (The area between Cairo and the Qena Bend is sometimes known as Middle Egypt, although technically it is a part of Upper Egypt.)

The 22 Nomes of Upper Egypt

• The Nomes started at Elephantine Island as Nome number 1 and had 22 Nomes:
  1. Elephantine (Aswan
  2. Apollonopolis Magna
  3. Hierakonpolis
  4. Thebes
  5. Coptos
  6. Tentyra
  7. Diospolis Parva
  8. Abydos
  9. Panopolis
  10. Aphroditopolis
  11. Hypselis
  12. Antaeopolis
  13. Lycopolis
  14. Cusaeh
  15. Hermopolis Magna
  16. Hebenu
  17. Cynopolis
  18. Alabastronopolis
  19. Oxyrhynchus
  20. Herakleopolis Magna
  21. Crocodilopolis
  22. Aphroditopolis

Fort Babylon